BUFFALO, N.Y. — The months that lay ahead are quite significant for the Buffalo Bills.
The team’s new Highmark Stadium is in the final months of substantial work and is set to open this summer. New coach Joe Brady is just over a week away from his first offseason workouts getting underway. On top of all that, this is a roster that still has major needs.
The Bills made acquisitions at the height of the free agency period (largely on defense), traded for wide receiver DJ Moore and found ways to keep center Connor McGovern and tight end Dawson Knox.
However, there are still question marks.
Buffalo has seven picks to work with ahead of the April 23-25 draft (ABC, ESPN, ESPN App). And one thing to keep in mind is that president of football operations and general manager Brandon Beane has a history of adding free agents after the draft, which aids with the compensatory pick formula for next year.
Where does this roster stand, and what are the biggest remaining questions? Let’s look at the positions to watch for the rest of the offseason.
Offensive line
The Bills’ ideal scenario was to bring back McGovern or left guard David Edwards — with both set to hit free agency — and that ended with McGovern returning on a four-year, $52 million deal. McGovern adds consistency, with four out of five starters from the past two seasons returning.
But with Edwards signing with the New Orleans Saints, it leaves an open spot for the important job of protecting quarterback Josh Allen and keeping the dominant rushing attack from last season going. Left guard, as left tackle Dion Dawkins has pointed out many times, has been a rotating door with no Bills player holding the position for more than two seasons since Dawkins was drafted in 2017.
Alec Anderson is the leading candidate for the role, but after Brady was hired, Beane said he would bring in competition for an open offensive line position.
Interior offensive line help has arrived in signing guard/center Austin Corbett and center Lloyd Cushenberry III to one-year deals. Corbett, who played most of his snaps at right guard, has not played significant left guard snaps since 2019 but has experience there and at center. Cushenberry brings veteran center depth.
Buffalo also declined to match the offer sheet from the Minnesota Vikings for restricted free agent Ryan Van Demark, so depth at swing tackle beyond Tylan Grable and Chase Lundt is something to watch.
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Stephen A. reacts to DJ Moore’s trade to Bills
Stephen A. Smith reacts to wide receiver DJ Moore getting traded from Chicago to Buffalo.
Wide receiver
Yes, the Bills made the big splash with the Moore trade, and he’s undoubtedly the top receiver, but there’s a need for another to be added. The room consists of Moore, Khalil Shakir, Joshua Palmer, Keon Coleman and Trent Sherfield Sr., who recently returned on a one-year deal, with Tyrell Shavers coming off a torn ACL, and Stephen Gosnell, Mecole Hardman Jr. and Jalen Virgil.
While draft capital has already been used on the group by trading a second-round pick for Moore, and even with the depth that Sherfield brings, there is a case to be made for drafting a receiver in April — even with the Bills’ pick at No. 26 overall. But they’ll also have a chance to strike on Day 3 like they did with Shakir (fifth-round pick) in 2022.
Nose tackle
With the team switching to a 3-4 base defense, there are uncertainties about how the group will line up. Deone Walker, going into his second season, could take over the nose tackle role.
There’s a gap in the current roster for more players with size and who have strengths against the run. The draft could be a logical place to add here.
Outside linebacker/edge rusher
The Bills have a solid group of veterans, including the addition of Bradley Chubb in free agency to go along with Greg Rousseau and Michael Hoecht. Getting after the quarterback is an area in which Buffalo has been trying to find consistency for a number of seasons. It ranked 20th in 2025 with 36 sacks. So getting younger is important for both the roster and the cap situation.
New defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard was part of a Denver Broncos defense last season that recorded a league-high 68 sacks and had eight players with four or more sacks. While the Bills’ LB room has been added to, this position is still a strong option in the first round.
Inside linebacker
In January, Beane noted that this “is looking like a good draft for linebackers,” which might indicate the Bills could inevitably address linebacker in April.
The Bills already have Terrel Bernard, Dorian Williams and Joe Andreessen, but Bernard staying healthy has been unreliable. Beane did not rule out the possibility of Bernard playing inside or outside, saying he has the capability to do both, but he is on the team’s roster as an inside linebacker.
Cornerback
How confident is the team in Maxwell Hairston going into his second season? The 2025 first-round pick played in 11 games, starting in three. He had the ups and downs expected of a rookie but dealt with multiple injuries. He finished the season with 18 total tackles, two interceptions and five passes defended.
Unlike safety and nickel, where the Bills added C.J. Gardner-Johnson, Geno Stone and Dee Alford, the CB position has not truly been addressed in free agency. That leaves no significant competition on the roster for Hairston, who is currently set to pair with No. 1 corner Christian Benford. With Tre’Davious White still a free agent, having another veteran in the room could go a long way.
